Olfaction
by StMomo
Summary: Because life can really be broken down into a series of smells. A collection of Bleach ficlets based on the 'What's That Smell' challenge on Lunaescence by Strawberry Moonlight and done as a gift-fic for Sorugao Bandgeek. Reader x Various.
1. Chocolate Chip Cookies

Bad days. Everyone has had them and boy, had your weekend turned into nothing but a string of bad days. Weekends were supposed to be for sleeping in and relaxing but no, in between homework, friends who thought you were their own personal therapist, and having to deal with knowing about all the freaky things going on in Karakura Town due to your spiritual awareness junk (though thankfully, you didn't actually have to do anything about those aforementioned freaky going-on's due to the fact that you just weren't all that much of a fighter), you'd had no time to relax period. Needless to say, you were getting increasingly grumpy by the day. Though you'd been supposed to hang out with your kind of-sort of boyfriend Ishida Uryuu tonight, you'd texted him earlier that day cancelling it. You just weren't in a good mood at all and it wasn't fair to him to have to deal with you like that.

So imagine your surprise that evening when you returned home from running errands to find your house completely spotless (cleaning had been on your seemingly endless list of to-do's that hadn't been done yet) and filled with the scent of freshly baked chocolate chip cookies, your all-time favorite snack. Stepping farther into your apartment, you headed straight for the kitchen where you received another shock. Really, it shouldn't have come as all that much of a shock. Ishida had always been quite handy at domestic things, which was good since you failed at them most times, but this…

You couldn't help it. Staring at him as he bustled around your kitchen as he took out a tray of cookies only to put another one into the oven, looking spectacular in that cute little apron you hardly ever used, you couldn't help but forget how horrible your weekend had been.

Horrible? How could you have thought that? You couldn't remember a sweeter weekend if you tried.


	2. Sea Breeze

You didn't know how they did it but boy, did they ever manage to do it. A day at the beach with everyone, sun shining down and the ocean breeze wafting over you – was there anything better? You couldn't stop smiling as you set up all the necessary beach equipment. Towels laid down, umbrellas set up, and a cooler full of chilled drinks and a bottle of sunscreen nearby. After all, dehydration and sunburn were dangerous!

You'd even worn your cutest bikini to the beach today in hopes of impressing your crush. You knew you looked cute and you couldn't wait to unzip the loose, short-sleeved sweatshirt you were wearing as a cover-up. That was, you couldn't wait to unzip it until Orihime and Matsumoto showed up on the beach. Both of them were wearing skimpy bikinis…no, you didn't think what Matsumoto was wearing even qualified as a bikini. One look at them and one look at how all the guys were sneaking lusty glances their way, including your crush, and all thought of discarding your sweatshirt and showing off your painfully lacking bust-line was forgotten.

Bah, you thought as you huddled deeper into your sweatshirt. Whose lousy idea had it been to come to the beach anyways!


	3. Roses

It was always like this, it had been for as long as you remembered. You didn't know why you put yourself through this, really. You had plenty of work in your own division that you were responsible for so there was no logical reason for you to volunteer your time in another division. Well, it wasn't exactly volunteering, more like you always just happened to drop by and always just happened to 'help' Rangiku with her paperwork. And by help, you fully meant that you did it while she drank or did some other laze-about activity.

So why did you do it?

Maybe because you didn't really have much of a life outside your duties? Maybe because you really did, kind of, sort of enjoy her company? Maybe because, when you were busy at work and she was chattering away about some inane thing, she'd sometimes lean close in to you to tell some sort of joke and her soft hand would find some spot on your body and you'd get a whiff of that flowery perfume she wore that reminded you of June roses? Maybe because, at those times, you'd feel something inside you quiver and nothing on earth could stop the smile that came to your lips or the feeling of happiness that filled you?

Yes…maybe that was it. Maybe it was because you loved her.


	4. Peppermint

Crunch. Crunch. Crunch.

CRUNCH!

"Will you stop that?" came the waspish voice of Hitsugaya as he glared at you. You just smirked and finished chewing your mouthful of peppermint.

God, was he ever beginning to hate peppermints. You seemed to have developed an addiction to them recently and that was all he saw and smelled for the last few hours.

"Stop what, Hitsugaya-taicho?" you asked innocently, slipping another peppermint from the bag you kept them in.

He just glared at you. You were far from stupid; he knew that so he knew you understood what he meant.

"But they're good, Taicho! Really, you should try one!" you urged, offering him the bag.

"No."

Sighing, you shook your head. An awkward silence, punctuated only by your crunching of your peppermint, fell before an idea over-took you. Smirking, you slipped the last peppermint out of the bag, holding it loosely between your fingers.

"Taicho?" you asked, sounding cute and innocent enough for him to look up, wondering what you were up to. In a split second, before he realized what was going on, you'd leaned down and captured his lips, giving him a soft, quick kiss.

"You really need to learn to try new things, Hitsugaya-taicho," you said mischievously before slipping the peppermint into his gaping mouth.

Laughing as you walked out of the room, you ignored his dark mutterings. He watched you go, glaring daggers at your back.

Peppermints, he thought. You tasted like peppermints.

He really wasn't so sure he liked the taste.


	5. Cigarettes

The click of your lighter signaled that you'd lit up yet another cigarette. He couldn't help it; as the sharp, acrid smell of tobacco smoke met his nose, he wrinkled it, his face falling into a look of soft displeasure. He wondered if he should mention it…maybe he shouldn't, it might offend you…but what could it hurt?

"Um…(y/n)-chan?" Hanataro asked quietly, twiddling his fingers and glancing nervously your way.

You took a deep drag off your smoke and glanced down at his smaller figure, grunting to acknowledge you'd heard him.

He just blushed and looked all the more nervous, beginning to fold and unfold his hands.

"What?" you barked out, wondering what the hell was up with your normally so talkative boyfriend.

"Umm…I don't think you should smoke. I mean, it's really bad for you and I…" he trailed off, unsure of how to proceed without hurting your feelings.

You just snorted though. Smoking was bad for you?

"Hanataro, if anything's going to kill me, I'm sure it'll probably be a Hollow. Or maybe Kenpachi-taicho, if he ever finds out I'm fooling around with a Fourth Division member in my time off," you said almost contemplatively. "Not cigarettes."

"But…but…" he stammered out as he watched you take another drag. "I really don't like it when you smoke! It smells horrible and tastes horrible!"

You raised an eyebrow, a little surprised by his outburst. You never knew he felt so strongly about your smoking habit. He just looked embarrassed by his little outburst, but then when didn't he look a touch embarrassed? As you took one last drag, you contemplated your cigarette.

"Che…fuck, I'm not quitting something I enjoy just 'cause you don't like it," you barked out, leaving Hanataro looking ashamed and upset. His expression soon turned into one of surprise though as you tossed down your smoke, grinding it into the ground with the toe of your sandal.

"But if it bothers you that much," you continued. "I just won't do it around you, alright?"


	6. Sweat

There were times when he headed off for days or weeks at a time and left you behind to worry about him. He was stronger, he was more suited to fighting and you weren't, it was the truth of the matter. All you could do was worry about him and wait for him. All you could do was be there for him when he returned to heal him and take care of him.

He'd always return though. And he'd be broken all too often, beat up and unkempt. But at those times, you couldn't help but run forward to embrace him, not caring how sweaty, bloody and disgusting he was.

Because at least he'd come back.


	7. Gingerbread

Really, it was just wonderful that there were times like this – snow on the ground and a lovely winter chill outside, huddled inside where it was warm and toasty and the smell of gingerbread filled the air. It was even better to have your friends around you, all of you competing to see who could build the better gingerbread house. You'd finally finished yours and had just stepped back to admire the handiwork on your little village of gingerbread tee-pees, complete with gumdrop Indians inside them and a red Smartie firepit in the center of it all.

Growing bored with admiring your own handiwork, you took to circling around and admiring everyone else's. Gingerbread house, gingerbread house, gingerbread house…most of them were so boring. Orihime's rice, curry, banana and gingerbread robot was interesting but Rukia's creation really took the place.

"Rukia-chan!" you squealed, looking at the lumpy blob of gingerbread and frosting she'd created. "This is absolutely amazing! So abstract! So wonderful!"

"What the hell is it supposed to be?" Ichigo grunted, coming over to stand beside Rukia, who was positively beaming from your praise.

"Can't you tell, Ichigo-kun?" you said rudely. "It's obvious it's a powerful metaphor for the state of the world and everything in it!" you proclaimed happily, pounding a fist into your other open hand for emphasis.

"Um…" Rukia said, looking at you like you were crazy. "It's supposed to be a bunny."


	8. Leaky Gas Pipe

Setting the wrench down, finally done with your handiwork, you smiled as the smell of gas started to slowing creep through your house. Since you knew you wouldn't want to stick around for too long now that gas was leaking into your house, you hopped down off your chair and set off to your room to pack a bag.

It was less than half an hour later that you knocked on your boyfriend's door. When he opened it, you simply smiled up at him.

"Hey, I seem to have a leaky gas pipe at home and I need a place to crash until I can get that fixed. Can I stay with you?"

It spoke mountains about how well he knew you that he automatically knew the leaky gas pipe was either an excuse or something you'd done yourself. Maybe it was because he also knew it was just so you'd be able to stay with him, be close to him for a little while that you did these kinds of things.

And it spoke mountains when all Chad did was nod, smile and let you in.


	9. Spoiled Meat

Ichigo loved you, he really did. He loved you on your good days and on your bad days, whether you looked like an angel or a ratty, messy hobo. He loved you despite all your bad habits. Which was probably why, when in the middle of a make-out session with you on your couch, he stayed pretty nonplussed despite the huge whiff of spoiled meat that he suddenly got.

"What's that smell?" he asked, raising himself up off you to look around for the source of the smell.

"I don't know…" you said, wondering about the smell yourself. "Did you fart Ichigo-kun?"

"Of course not, idiot!"

You just giggled at his oh-so-predictably outraged reply before setting about finding the source of the smell, which only seemed to be getting stronger. Bending down, you sniffed the cushions of your couch. Nope, wasn't those. Moving a pillow, you rooted around in the space between the cushions, wondering if something had fallen between there. You had a horrible habit of leaving things laying around or misplacing them and somehow, they always seemed to turn up between your couch cushions.

Eureka! You'd found it. You brought your hand up from between the cushion and the arm of the couch, culprit in hand.

"Eh, I was wondering where that had disappeared to!" you said as you held up the now moldy bologna sandwich.

"That's so gross, (y/n)" was all that Ichigo could think of to say.


	10. Burnt Plastic

Oh no! Oh no, oh no, oh no! Yumichika was going to kill you. Sure, he would probably…no, he would most definitely have a valid reason to. After all, he'd told you time and time again to stop practicing Kido spells in his room, especially since you weren't particularly skilled in that area and the Eleventh Division didn't need weak Kido users anyway. But when had you ever listened to Yumichika?

You really needed to start though, you thought, looking at the mess that was his room. The smell of burning plastic pervaded the air and you calmly stomped out the last little flame you'd obviously missed. Really, one wrong word and that stupid Kido spell had literally blown up in your face. And blew up most of Yumichika's room along with it.

Speaking of the devil, you heard his charming voice approaching. Oh no! Oh no, no, no! You didn't want to die, not yet!

So you did what any normal person would…you ran, escaping out the now gaping hole in his wall and heading in the opposite direction that he was going. That wasn't going to be enough though because less than two seconds later, you heard your name being screamed in a rather psychotic way.

"OH SHIT, I'M GOING TO DIE!"


End file.
